Ontario is revoking the license of a dentist who changed his name after helping Iran evade sanctions
According to Global News, regulators have revoked the license of an Ontario dentist revealed He practiced under a name he adopted because of his belief that he had helped Iran Avoid sanctions.
Dr. Aurash Cohen is no longer authorized to practice in the province Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontariowhich said it canceled his certification on November 20th.
A university spokeswoman said she could not provide details about the cases.
However, she said dentists seeking certification “must disclose their criminal history in each jurisdiction in their application for registration in Ontario.”
“The application form is a legal certification – dentists are required to declare the accuracy of the contents of their application when submitting it,” Lesley Byrne said in a statement.
The decision came six weeks after Global News reported that “Dr. Cohen” was indeed Arash Yousefiyaman Ontario resident who pleaded guilty in 2021 to running a scheme to evade Iran sanctions.
Together with his brother Amin YousefiyamHe exported sensitive production equipment to Iran. The Yousefijams pleaded guilty in the US to sanctions evasion and were sentenced to prison.
The US then brought them back to Canada, where they used Ontario’s name change system to change to Aurash and Ameen Cohen.
Under her assumed identity, Aurash Cohen graduated from McGill University and became a dentist in June, while Ameen Cohen was hired as a corporate compliance officer.
Immigration and Refugee Authority
But their plan fell apart when immigration officials began deportation proceedings against Amin Yousefijam, an Iranian national who had entered Canada under the skilled workers program.
The Canada Border Services Agency disclosed the brothers’ name changes in hundreds of pages of documents submitted as evidence to the Immigration and Refugee Agency.
Get breaking national news
If you want to receive news that affects Canada and around the world, you can sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to you as soon as they happen.
A hearing that will determine Amin Yousefijam’s deportation is scheduled to begin on February 25 in Toronto. The CBSA is arguing against the Richmond Hill, Ont., resident. poses a threat to Canada’s security.
Amin Yousefijam undermined efforts to contain the Iranian regime and contributed to “an increased security threat to Canada in terms of terrorism and nuclear attacks,” the CBSA wrote in a report.
“Mr. Yousefijam’s activities directly impacted the Government of Canada’s efforts toward its foreign policy objectives toward Iran,” the CBSA report said.
Arash Yousefijam is a naturalized Canadian citizen and therefore cannot be deported. He did not respond to an email seeking comment, but said in an earlier response that he had “paid his dues.”
The dental school said those applying to practice in Ontario must demonstrate that their past and present conduct gives them confidence that they are carrying out their work “with decency, integrity and honesty and in accordance with the law.” said Byrne.
“The Registration Regulation also provides that an applicant will be deemed not to meet the requirements for the issue of a certificate of registration if the applicant has made a false or misleading statement or representation in relation to his application.”
The said the Ontario government It is considering reforming its name change policies to ensure people convicted of international sanctions violations and other serious crimes cannot hide from their past.
Iran is a major cause of instability in the Middle East. It leads a so-called “axis of resistance” that includes Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen and Hamas, which carried out the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
At the same time, the Iranian regime has been linked to several recent assassination attempts against dissidents living abroad as well as Irwin Cotler, a former Liberal MP and outspoken critic of the Islamic Republic.
&Copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
